Mayo Music School students scoop top prizes at Dublin festival

Young Mayo musicians from Louisburgh Music School are celebrating a string of major successes after an impressive showing at the 2026 Newpark Festival in Dublin.

The long-running festival, now in its 30th year, took place at the restored Carnegie Library in Dún Laoghaire and attracted talented performers from across the country.

Among the standout performers was Jack McDowell, a piano student of Michael Quinn, who was awarded the Coakley-Fuller Cup for Baroque Music. Jack won the accolade for his performance of Bourrée I & II from JS Bach’s English Suite No. 2.

There was further success in the vocal competitions. Ben McCormack secured joint second prize in the Age 12 and under. In the Age 14 and under category, Jasmine O’Malley took first prize, while Nellie Smyth was awarded second. 

Ruby Smyth won first prize in the Junior Musical Theatre competition (age 15–18) for her performance of a song from Sondheim’s Into the Woods, and Kyla Rose Rabbett received third prize for her rendition of a song from the musical Wicked.

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Louisburgh Music School’s Pauline Graham and Michael Quinn praised the dedication and hard work of their students, who hail from Louisburgh, Killeen and Westport, and acknowledged the continued support of parents. 

The school also paid tribute to festival directors Mairéad English and Alyssa Filardo, as well as Hilda Chan, Director of Newpark Academy of Music, for their commitment to music education and the continued development of the festival.

The students have also been active on stage closer to home. Ben recently performed with Claremorris Musical Society in its production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, while Kyla Rose played Cinderella in the Westport Pantomime’s sold-out run of Cinderella and the Spare Prince at the Westport Town Hall Theatre. Ruby and Jasmine are set to perform as soloists with Louisburgh Voices at a concert in Westport this May.